Broke. NSW.,The Catholic Church in Wollombi Road. Built in 1904.
Broke.
Broke was settled around 1824. The most prominent settler was John Blaxland, brother of explorer Gregory Blaxland who crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813. Around 1830 John and his son Arthur combined received land grants totalling 8,000 acres along Wollombi Brook as compensation for a legal dispute with the government. Wrangles with Governor Bligh to obtain his original land grant were protracted and Blaxland was even imprisoned for a month. His original land grant was on the Nepean River near Sydney. John Blaxland was an Anglican and so he donated two acres for a church and cemetery in 1861. St Andrews Anglican Church, a timber framed structure, opened in 1865 but was not consecrated. The timber church was replaced with a red brick one which was consecrated in 1889. It is now privately owned behind a high fence near the school. The village of Broke emerged as it was at the end of the overland route from Sydney to the Hunter Valley – The Great North Road used to moving livestock. Although the Blaxland homestead no longer exists there is a memorial at the site. The village still has some 19th century buildings apart from the 1889 Anglican Church at 38 Wollombi St. They include the original school 1876, the original Post Office 1882 – now a residence, the village hall 1898, and the Catholic Church 1904 at 26 Wollombi St. Today the main product is wine and Broke-Fordwich is a sub region of the Hunter Valley wine district.
Broke. NSW.,The Catholic Church in Wollombi Road. Built in 1904.
Broke.
Broke was settled around 1824. The most prominent settler was John Blaxland, brother of explorer Gregory Blaxland who crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813. Around 1830 John and his son Arthur combined received land grants totalling 8,000 acres along Wollombi Brook as compensation for a legal dispute with the government. Wrangles with Governor Bligh to obtain his original land grant were protracted and Blaxland was even imprisoned for a month. His original land grant was on the Nepean River near Sydney. John Blaxland was an Anglican and so he donated two acres for a church and cemetery in 1861. St Andrews Anglican Church, a timber framed structure, opened in 1865 but was not consecrated. The timber church was replaced with a red brick one which was consecrated in 1889. It is now privately owned behind a high fence near the school. The village of Broke emerged as it was at the end of the overland route from Sydney to the Hunter Valley – The Great North Road used to moving livestock. Although the Blaxland homestead no longer exists there is a memorial at the site. The village still has some 19th century buildings apart from the 1889 Anglican Church at 38 Wollombi St. They include the original school 1876, the original Post Office 1882 – now a residence, the village hall 1898, and the Catholic Church 1904 at 26 Wollombi St. Today the main product is wine and Broke-Fordwich is a sub region of the Hunter Valley wine district.